'I never heerd the like of the noise there's been since that gel come.
Never did I!' he said.
'Leave him!' said Miss Clomber to Hazel on the doorstep. She was going to add 'for my sake,' but substituted 'his.' 'You are causing him to sin,' she added.
'Be I?' Hazel felt that she was always causing something wrong. Then she sighed. 'I canna leave 'im.'
'Why not?'
'He wunna let me.'
With that phrase, all unconsciously, she took a most ample revenge on the Clombers; for it rang in their ears all night, and they knew it was true.
Chapter 29
On Sunday Vessons put his resolve—to go to the Mountain and reveal Hazel's whereabouts—into practice. If he had waited, gossip would have done it for him. He set out in the afternoon, having 'cleaned' himself and put on his pepper-and-salt suit, buff leggings, red waistcoat, and the jockey-like cap he affected. He arrived at the back door just as Martha was taking in supper.
'Well?' said Martha, who wanted to have her meal and go home.
'Well?' said Vessons.